Professor Tim Spector says sweet treat can stop dementia and diabetes

Nutritional scientist Tim Spector has got good news for chocolate loversL it’s good for you - but only if you eat the right type. The professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and founder of the Zoe health app said if people stick to dark chocolate with over 70 per cent cacao it has major health benefits.

The key ingredients are polyphenols - a helpful substance which can assist in reducing inflammation in the body - and this can assist in avoiding dementia, arthritis and diabetes.

Speaking in a newpost on Instagram Prof Spector who has just written a new book called Food for Life Cookbook said: “Everyone loves chocolate. I know I do, and I didn’t need my book to tell me that. But my book writing has told me much more about what’s in chocolate that is not only tasty but is actually good for our health.

“And we’re talking about chocolates that are good quality, with over 70% cacao in it, because that’s all from a plant. And the bean itself is packed with polyphenols that are made greater by fermenting process. So those polyphenols are really healthy for us and give us a lot of the advantages of eating chocolate.”

As well as polyphenols, Prof Spector explained that the good quality chocolate ups the fibre content too - which given 90 per cent of us don’t get the minimum recommended 30g fibre a day is vital. Eating 5g more fibre a day can reduce blood pressure by twice as much as reducing salt, Prof Spector has claimed.

He added: “There’s also fibre in it, and a normal portion of dark chocolate has over double the equivalent slice of whole grain bread in terms of fibre. So chocolate is a great thing to have, as a little treat at the end of the day, knowing that as well as being super tasty, it’s also really